Timeline

The collapse: In October, a part of the roof collapses at the northern hangar on the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station base. The incident damages a $35 million, 265-foot-long airship inside, causing a helium leak.

Construction efforts: The U.S. Navy's contractor is working on stabilizing the hangar by adding two 180-foot steel towers on each side. Construction is expected to finish by the end of April.

The future park: OC Parks is planning to conduct an independent structural analysis on the hangar and get an estimated cost of repairs, which could affect the future of the regional 84.5-acre park proposed for the site.

Construction on the damaged northern hangar at the former Tustin Marine base is underway and expected to be completed by the end of this month, according to U.S. Navy officials.

The hangar is one of two on the former Marine Corps Air Station base that was used to house blimps and planes during World War II. An observation room on top of the hangar fell through the roof on Oct. 7, and a 25-by-25-foot section of the roof collapsed. The incident also damaged a $35 million, 265-foot-long airship inside, causing a helium leak.

In February, the Navy’s contractor, Kellogg Brown and Root Services Inc., began building two 180-foot steel towers on each side of the hangar. The towers will stand outside and support the damaged roof trusses via tensioned steel tieback cables, according to the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Base Realignment and Closure Program.

The stabilization via steel towers is part of a $3.2 million contract, according to Sarah Ann Moore, acting base closure manager for the former MCAS Tustin.

The Navy originally awarded the contract at the end of December, and Kellogg Brown and Root Services was given until the end of March to complete design and construction. But the deadline has since been extended, with hangar stabilization to be finished by the end of this month, Moore said.

The multimillion-dollar zeppelin, a prototype by Worldwide Aeros Corp., is designed to move cargo quickly over long distances. It has been sitting inside the damaged hangar since October.

Unless unexpected conditions occur, Aeros will be able to access the hangar on May 1 “to begin disassembly and removal of its property,” Moore said.

The hangar is being prepared to be conveyed from the Navy to the county. It’s included in the county’s plans for an 84.5-acre regional park, but following October’s incident, county officials have expressed some reluctance to take on a potentially expensive repair project.

“It’s all up in the air, depending on the cost to fix it,” said Todd Spitzer, 3rd District county supervisor. “I don’t want that blimp hangar destroyed or taken down, but we really need to know realistically what it’s going to cost to repair that hole.”

OC Parks is preparing to conduct an independent structural analysis of the hangars with Tustin officials. The second hangar is also expected to be conveyed to the city.

“From that (analysis), we’ll be able to determine how extensive the repairs need to be, to make the hangar accessible to the public,” said Scott Thomas, who is planning the regional park as OC Parks design manager.

That information and a cost estimate would then go to the county Board of Supervisors to make a decision regarding the future of the proposed park, Thomas said.

Related Links

The northern hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station base is undergoing construction following a partial roof collapse in October.
FILE PHOTO: SAM GANGWER
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STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Part of the roof of one of two Tustin Marine Corps Air Station hangars collapsed in October, damaging a $35 million zeppelin.
FILE PHOTO: SAM GANGWER
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STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The U.S. Navyâ€™s construction efforts to stabilize the damaged Tustin Marine base hangar are expected to be completed by the end of April.
FILE PHOTO: SAM GANGWER
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STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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